The Tumultuous Kingdoms of Remnant
by Skij Leonhart
Summary: AU RWBYverse; Weiss, lord of her own kingdom; Ruby, head of a ranger organization; Blake, head of a group of assassins; Yang, commander of Weiss' military. Inspired by the White Rose of Vermillion- WR, hint hint, and countless other stories containing dear Weiss, who will likely be the story's centerpiece. T atm; language, soon M for violence & impl. lemons. descrip inside. -Skij
1. tTKoR- Chapter I:

**PLEASE READ: A/N:**

**Sup! My second shot at a RWBY fic; my previous one was a little too disjointed in its idea and per Monty Oum's specifics of requiring people to be named after colors, I had to essentially scrap it. Sorry, in case you liked it. Another fic of mine is gonna alternate with this one, a highschool AU that I'll use to make sure my brain doesn't get a little worn out. Both fics will accelerate once classes end (essentially June 1st).**

**I don't want to spoil any of the story, but the premise is essentially a feudal setting similar to old Europe (think Mount and Blade; Warband- if you haven't played it, give it a shot) where Weiss is the lord over the head castle; the empire has a singular city but it's large (think city state with influences). Pyrrha will play a large role in another major empire. If I have the time this summer, I'll attempt to paste a map of Caldradia (M&B:W) with my edits.**

**Politics will play as minor of a role as I can make it, but at least mine'll be a little more interesting than the current day's, right?**

**Anyone else I didn't mention will be introduced + a couple of OC's; I hope that y'all (yes, I'm from Texas) will take a few seconds to write a review filled with anything under the sun, idgaf. Just write me something!**

**-Skij**

**P.S. I DON'T OWN ROOSTERTEETH OR RWBY OR M&B:W, BUT THIS STORY'S PLOT IS MINE. THANKS. (^^)**

**P.P.S. .I'll be using the map of Caldradia for the setting; I'll keep city names the same but kingdoms will be extremely different from the existing ones in M Warband.**

**P.P.P.S. I'll give whoever can figure out the significance of the kingdom names (slightly varied) chocolate chip cookie. Hint, a W from the original game has become an M(avyen) for variety's sake. (EDIT: As of Chapter 3, no one's gotten it)**

**TL;DR it's nonessential but helps you piece together some details, update speed increases after May 28th.**

Chapter I:

"I have called you all here today for a specific reason."

The white-haired, five foot tall woman stood before an amassed group of people in what could be called Reyvadin's 'Great Hall'; the ceilings hung thirty feet above and were adorned with murals depicting the coronation of the aforementioned woman, who, in the extremely intricate mural, was bowed before a being of celestial nature with grandiose white wings sprouting from its back .

The crown in its hands was depicted as giving off the same gold glow that its halo atop its head did. Some said that Weiss had inherited some kind of powers that stemmed either from the crown that she always wore or from a supposed demonic heritage, but rumors were plenty abound in a kingdom with its head recently ripped off and replaced with a woman's. Weiss was merely 23 and yet she had the burden of an entire city state and its empire dumped on her back; slight signs of wrinkling and a rare grey hair were present.

"I have called you here today to bring to light an issue that has recently plagued our city; some of you may know, some of you may not." The small woman's voice carried throughout the entire room, its timbre able to command the respect of a thousand commander-in-chiefs. With a wave of a hand, two men rolled in a large wooden board with a map of Reyvadin**(A/N:1)** plastered across it; its surface covered in lots of scribbled x's and circles. As the squeaking contraption rolled to a stop, all chatter promptly ceased.

"Thank you, gentlemen." A small cough came from the front row, which was off to the right of the main congregation, and Weiss turned to see her military commander staring her down indignantly.

"And ladies." Yang's face briefly showed a smile before returning to seriousness with a clearing of her throat from her superior. Turning to address the main group, Weiss began again.

"There have been four murders in the past two weeks here in Reyvadin, and as this city's sheriff and this kingdom's ruler, I cannot stand by and let this continue to happen." Weiss turned and pulled the shorter of two swords, the _wakizashi_**(A/N:2), **from the pair of sheaths seated above her left hip and started pointing out various things on the map, spouting rapid-fire instructions to her subordinates in the front-most rows; these were the people that were higher on the totem pole of power and would eventually have to pass the instructions down the ladder.

It had only been a month since Weiss had taken over a role of significance in Reyvadin (and more notably, control of the entire Schnee domain) and yet many things had changed for the better. The crime rate in "the city of justice," as people were calling it now, had plummeted 34% from its previously high perch of 67% for violent crimes. Laws that had been backlogged for months or even years were being discussed with Weiss' personal council; some still loyal to her deceased father, some hand-picked, but all determined to solve the city or kingdom's problems. Anyone unmotivated was quickly ousted by the white-haired ruler's no-nonsense mentality. Weiss had even managed to increase military efficiency while still lowering the average tax rate for the citizens of Maevyn**(A/N:3)**. Even though Weiss' general attitude towards her citizens was less jovial than her predecessor, the people understood and appreciated all that she did for them; her stoic demeanor and hard-line business attitude garnered respect from the kingdom's inhabitants and production was at a well-needed high.

Some things had suffered with a change in leadership, however; sacrifices had to be made in order to focus on improving inwards, and relations with the other three significant kingdoms were strained at best while Weiss told her ambassadors to "divert and stall attention away from Maevyn until we are strong enough to tell anyone else to go fuck themselves." Being the northernmost kingdom, Maevyn was able to defend from one general front should either of its neighboring kingdoms (Welilath and Shaevir) decide to attack, and since Remnant's climate was rather non-uniform, Maevyn had fields of grain and crops to the east protected by mountain ranges and plentiful fishing space to the west; its only land-access blocked by a raging, west-flowing river. Reyvadin's large castle stood at the foreground of Maevyn's southern defense while the slightly-less-impressive Ismirala Castle stood its ground near the only bridge-access into Western Maevyn.

The war-prone Kingdom of Welilath occupied the land to the west of Ismirala Castle and Wercheg; their family line consisted of an immense number of sons which ensured their bloodline's survival and their military consisted of the world's strongest cavalry. Due to the kingdom's immense size and population, (its reach stretched as far east as Dhirim and as far south as the river south of Uxkhal) Welilath was able to produce on a massive scale and equip and train many soldiers to keep its bordering kingdoms pressured. Welilath was Weiss' lesser favorite of her kingdom's two neighbors, and trade between the two nations flowed accordingly. The deep navy-blue colored nation of Welilath and its absolute-ruling king, Caius Calverius, often sent messages demanding, threatening or occasionally begging Maevyn to resume its trade (military Welillians really favored the deep-blue coloring of their clothing) of dyes and other luxury goods, but Weiss insisted (against her foreign relation-advisor's wishes) to keep trade with Welilath to the required minimum for each kingdom to function properly. She refused to be on anything more than necessary terms with the nation that was rumored (and heavily suspected) to have been responsible for her father's assassination. As much as the two hadn't agreed, the late Arthur "the Sun King" Schnee was still her father, and had also instilled a strong sense of morality in his daughter since she was young.

Weiss was anything but an idiot, however; she knew that her kingdom had been severely shaken by his murder and knew that in case Caius's mood became particularly aggressive one day, she needed a trusting ally. That ally came in her neighbor to the south; Shaevir.

Shaevir preferred Maevyn to Welilath as well; they would always agree on that at the very least. However, Louis Berillius, Shaevir's well-renowned war-hero ruler, was a rather benevolent man. He, along with his wife Pyrrha Berillius-Nikos (a proud warrior herself who insisted on keeping at least a portion of her name in marriage) ruled Shaevir with a firm yet kind hand. Pyrrha often leaned towards the firm side while Louis kept popular opinion of his government high by being the nice one that everyone could sympathize with, as he was not of noble blood and rose to his position through hard work and perseverance. Without one, the other could not have ruled successfully, but together the nation was kept whole and thriving. Both of them were excellent friends with Arthur, however, and felt deeply for the plight of Weiss, so the three signed a defensive pact ensuring each other's protection in a time of war. Many citizens of both nations believed this to be one of, if not the singular reason why Caius did not knock upon Maevyn's doorstep immediately after Arthur's... accident.

* * *

One of the Great Hall's current inhabitants was running through all of this knowledge as review; one of the sole armed occupants, actually. Besides Weiss and three of the generals and officers of the front row, no one besides the hooded figure had more than a chest piece of armor on, let alone a weapon. _Fo__rty unarmed important men and women; how careless of Queen Schnee, _the hooded figure mused.

* * *

After Weiss had finished her main points and moved to sheath the shorter of her two swords, the hair rose on her neck and Weiss felt something incredibly wrong was going to happen, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. The tell-tale whizzing of an arrow gave itself away as Weiss threw herself to the ground and unsheathed both swords as she rolled, holding the shorter in her left hand, reversed and backwards, and the longer in her right traditionally, with right arm over left. Panicked, most of the main congregation stood up in confusion and looked around, serving to further distract the queen; Weiss heard another arrow flying and spun sideways, flicking her wrists outwards and slicing the arrow in half, sending it off-course and over her shoulder. A sudden impact into her back sent her sprawling to the floor, weapons relieved; acting on instinct, Weiss pulled both sheaths from her waist and jumped off the floor with all the strength her core could muster, hoping to catch her attacker by surprise. Since their face was covered, all Weiss received in response was a grunt as both sheaths slammed into the side of the bow-wielding assailant. Instead of falling to the floor like the blow would've been received by anyone else, the assailant used the momentum of Weiss' strike and levelled themselves with the ground mid-air before reaching an empty right hand to the ground and pushing upwards, successfully throwing their body into a front/side flip.

As the figure flew gracefully in the air, their hood slid off, revealing a young, raven-haired adult female with red streaks. Weiss could only stand mesmerized (along with the entire congregation) as the newly identified female winked at Weiss upside-down before landing and immediately shoving off with her legs to propel shoulder-first into the stunned queen four feet away. The impact threw both her weapons and her body to the floor harshly, and the first sight the queen was met with as she opened her eyes was a heaving chest adorned by dark-red fabric and a bobbing head with a mouth covered by a rag cut from the same cloth. Focusing her eyes closer to her face, Weiss made out the shape of an arrow primed to fire about six inches from her face. From the way the assailant moved, she shouldn't be so heavy, but all the same, Weiss was pinned as her apparent assassin sat upon her abdomen and rested, pressuring their ankles and feet into her thighs.

Weiss closed her eyes and embraced the imminent death; it was something her father had also stressed when she was younger; _be prepared for death at any time, dear Weiss_, and in the current moment, worries about the future of her kingdom zipped through her mind. When a few seconds passed and Weiss realized no arrow was embedded in her skull, she opened her eyes again to see the tension dissipated from the bowstring and the arrow resting in the same hand as the bow. The pressure from atop her abdomen had ceased and a hand was now outstretched to pick the queen up off of her feet. Weiss sat confused for less than a second before re-steeling her face and grabbing the hand before her firmly. The lithe and lean girl before her was rather strong for her appearance, and hoisted the queen to her feet with ease before slinging the bow across a shoulder, slipping the arrow into a waist-quiver and sliding down to one knee with her head bowed. Yang motioned forward to apprehend her but Weiss glanced up and almost imperceptibly shook her head no. Confused, the blonde garrison commander took her seat and the rest of the assembly followed suit reluctantly.

"State your business, girl." Weiss' voice rang out clear and slightly tinted with contempt in the silent room as she suddenly grabbed her attacker by the collar and yanked her up to a standing position; the 'girl' visibly stiffened at the queen's touch, but remained silent. She put her hands above her head before straightening slowly; at full height, she rose to stand two inches taller than the queen. Turning to face the congregation, she cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back before beginning an obviously planned speech.

"Ladies and gentleman of this court, I have come today for multiple reasons. Not one of which was to kill your lovely queen here, however." An outcry arose from the crowd present and immediately Weiss' sharp tone rang out.

"Silence! I wish to hear what this woman has to say." The rightfully addressed woman smiled at this and continued in her confident tone.

"As I was saying, I came for other reasons. One was to see the magnificence of Reyvadin's Great Hall myself." This time, hushed mutters arose but the girl heeded them not. Her voice grew deadly serious for a moment.

"The second was to test the security defending Queen Schnee. You have clearly failed." Another outcry sounded this time, and its accompanying response sliced through it swiftly.

"I said **silence!**" Weiss' voice rarely grew beyond a firm address; when shouting was necessary for the queen, it was time to shut the hell up. The cloaked woman allowed herself another grin before continuing again.

"These are rather... _tumultuous_ times, ladies and gentlemen; shouldn't the queen be protected at all costs?" A few reluctant nods and mumbles of assent came from the assembly and the woman finished her speech.

"My third and final reason is that I, Ruby Rose, captain of the Remnant Rangers, would like to offer my services (at this, Ruby turned to the queen and winked) to the Kingdom of Maevyn." At this, the crowd exploded in conflicting cheers and cries, but the Queen didn't move a muscle to stop them. She still made no motion to move as Ruby pulled a folded sheet of paper from an inner-cloak pocket and slipped it into the brim of Weiss' slightly displaced crown before walking away. And Weiss still didn't move an inch as the crowd parted for the exiting Ranger.

"Have a good day, ladies and gentlemen!" Ruby called out with a wave as she exited.

_I just have this feeling, this overwhelming feeling; that girl is going to be the end of me some day._

* * *

**A/N:**

**I suppose I lied about politics for now, but I promise I just have to set up my AU; it'll get better! (and more action-y!)(maybe not this long though)**

**1. The map might get drawn up in MS paint if a major battle occurs there. Otherwise, draw from imagination or play the game.**

**2. Wakizashis were companion swords to the longer katana sword for a long time in pre-Meiji Japan; Weiss uses that style even though it's eastern.**

**3. Maevyn is Weiss' kingdom/queendom.**

**EDIT: Woah, the response is awesome! I love this fandom & hope y'all stick with me through incoming inactive intervals! (I like alliteration and sometimes I do it unintentionally; get used to it) I also re-did a little of the post-attack scene, and reasons will be addressed in ch II.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Skij Leonhart**


	2. tTKoR- Chapter II:

**A/N:**

**I'll try to keep this one short.**

**Mad (re)views/follows for just my measly chapter #1. Hopefully #2 meets or exceeds the set standards. I'm looking for a beta &/or someone who's artsy to do a cover for me? :P The current one's just off the internet.**

**Finally, addressing the biggest review question(paraphrasing): "Why the fuck did Weiss not do anything to the assailant that casually strolled into her meeting and tossed her around?"**

**Answer: You're about to find out.**

* * *

Chapter II:

"That went well, didn't it, my dear princess?" Ruby smiled as said royalty huffed and paced over to the window.

"Did you really have to undermine my authority by just walking out of there? I mean, really..." An annoyed voice started, slightly muffled from the speaker's orientation towards the window. The sun sat high in the sky, marking the close proximity of noon.

"You could've done something, _your Highness_," Ruby shot back quickly, to which she received another huff. A confident smile slid into place on the brunette's face. "I did go a little overboard on you after all; I know it wasn't part of the deal, but I figured what better way to prov-"

"I didn't want to hurt you." Ruby stopped and stared, slack-jawed, as Weiss made her way back across the space that entailed her office; her white boots' clicking echoing ominously throughout. Established on the only third floor building in the entire city of Reyvadin, Weiss had the best view through her two open-air windows that faced east and west with her desk facing north. The government's 'capitol' building sat in the center of the city and could be defended almost as well as the entire city could with a small number of men; it was designed as the last-defense in a siege situation, and built out of stone and at an outwards slant so that it couldn't be burned down nor scaled effectively.

"Yo-you, uh, held back?" Weiss nodded with a smirk and stopped in-front of the slightly taller woman and took in the view. Dressed in the same garb as earlier that day, (Weiss held morning meetings, much to the dismay of many) Ruby's deep-red sleeveless-halter top was accompanied by a black jacket that was stitched into the inside of her matching color-cloak that had a few splotches of green and brown; in the current season of fall, it would blend in perfectly with its surroundings. Simple black riding pants accompanied a pair of black boots with one pink ribbon tied into the top of the left boot. The same tone of red colored an extension of the hood of her cloak which rested beneath her chin; the mouth-piece of her Rangers' mask.

"If I had really gone all out, you probably would've been arrested and lost your job chance, wouldn't you've, Miss Rose?" The addressed gulped; her palms were sweaty and her previous snarky grin had all but disappeared a few minutes ago. Ruby let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, heh, uh, are you, uh, saying you don't need me here?" A frown briefly appeared on Weiss' face before evaporating as quickly as it came, and the queen launched into a monologue.

"Ruby, I still require your assistance here in Mayven; that much has not changed." The red-streaked-raven haired girl sighed internally and opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly stopped when a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Do not speak until I am finished." Ruby, wide-eyed and marvelling at how soft her new employer's hands were, merely nodded; the queen set off for the space between the western window and her desk while her counterpart took a step backwards and ended up sprawled in a solitary seat intended for guests like herself. Pacing back and forth, a few moments passed before she began in a forceful yet quiet tone.

"I do not hire bumbling fools; yet, you handled yourself decently yesterday, and I am somewhat pleased with your previous performance." A small smile started to spread across Ruby's face before being abruptly dashed from existence with the queen's next words.

"But do not think that that means I am happy with you. Or approve of you. Or even like you in the slightest. If someone else comes along who I deem to be more qualified than you, you will be replaced in an instant. I need you working to be your very best at every moment of the day. Even though my father respected the Ranger institution and trusted Qrow with his life, you've yet to prove yourself to me. I am not my father, and I do not place my trust easily." Ruby swore she could feel the sweat droplets freezing on her back, neck and in her armpits. Weiss came to a halt and turned to face the now-slightly shivering head Ranger. The grim expression that had set itself into her face softened a little as she continued.

"We seem to suffer the same plight, Ruby. Both of our… mentors have left us in quite the predicament here; not fully trained and yet required to prove ourselves here and now. You know, I…" Weiss cut herself short; she was being much too casual with her subordinate and these times required professionalism.

"You'll start work tomorrow as my bodyguard; you'll learn my habits, learn the people in my life and their habits, and you'll spar with my military commander, Yang. The last was a personal request; be honored, she only fights those outside of war when she deems them worthy." Ruby nodded solemnly and took to her feet when she realized she was being dismissed.

"Anything else, your Highness?" Weiss internally winced; she'd gone and scared both the jovial, confident Ruby and the bumbling, awkward Ruby away; leaving her with a scary mirror image of herself. Shaking the thoughts away, she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes; spend tonight familiarizing yourself with the streets nearby the central castle; here is where I spent most of my time, anyways. Do not hesitate to introduce yourself; your presence needs to be felt on a personal level here in Reyvadin." As Ruby nodded and turned to leave, Weiss bit her lip and almost decided against saying one more thing.

"Oh, and Ruby?" She froze, but didn't turn around, instead speaking to the slightly ajar door ahead of her.

"Yes, your Highness?" _Damn it all._

"Bring everything you'll need to live for the next six months up here tomorrow by dawn; I'll have someone bring it to your new living quarters immediately." At this, Ruby turned around with genuine surprise lacing her previously emotionless face.

"New living quarters, prin- I mean, uh, your Highness? That wasn't part of the job description." Weiss smiled internally at the jest but bristled externally and snapped back sharply, stepping up and looking her bodyguard in the eyes fiercely.

"From now on, everything I say is part of your job description. You will heed my **every** command; are we **clear**?" Ruby gulped, nodded and set her face into its stoic look again. _I hate that look on your face._

"Crystal, your Highness." Ruby turned and slipped out of the door without a word, leaving Weiss to slump into the visitor's chair and slide her face into her hands.

_Father… how did you manage this?_

* * *

"We have a little _treat_ for us today, Mavericks!" The roaring of 48 swords banging into their respective shields filled the hall for a few seconds before stopping abruptly; the closed fist of Yang held high to signal for their silence. Yang took a few more steps into the massive room and out from behind her, a young man about her height and with a slightly lighter shade of blonde hair made his presence known with a greeting.

At least, he thought it was going to be a greeting; in reality, it came out closer to a squeak. Laughter buzzed throughout before he cleared his throat and tried again.

"Greetings, fellow Mavericks. The name's Jaune Arc." The chatter and laughter died immediately.

_Did he just say 'fellow'?_

_That scrawny kid's one of us?_

_He won't last a fucking week._

_Hell, I got 20 lien saying he'll wash out in less._

_You got yourself a b-_

"That's enough!" Yang bellowed as she snatched the 20 lien coin from its mid-air flight between the two betting soldiers.

"He may not look the part, but the kid surpassed my score on the strategy aspect of the test, even if his physical strength might not look up to par. He can handle himself, and if I find out anyone's disrespecting him, you answer to me. Understood?" The sound of fists slamming together punctuated her sentence and 48 voices responded in near-perfect unison.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

"Good. Cardin, show Jaune to his room." A grunt was offered in response and the two men went down a hallway. Yang sighed as she heard a yelp from their general direction and prayed that Jaune would last longer than a 'fucking week'. Her own strategy plans weren't the best and she had personally overseen Jaune's testing; he had led his team to victory by extremely unconventional methods in three of the four mock battles. In one, he had baited the enemy squad of ten into a narrow corridor that allowed his squad of five to completely crush them; in another, he used the recent rainfall and a hill to create a mudslide, crippling half of the remaining opposing army of twenty. His own army had subsequently destroyed theirs; the large battle of 25v25 was the ultimate test that the Mavericks required you to perform well in for entry to the elite fighting squad that answered to Yang who answered directly to Weiss herself.

_You can do it Jaune; I believe in you._

* * *

"SOPHIEEEE!" Ruby yelled as she threw open the door to the Remnant Ranger Mayven HQ; a quaint little cottage with 4 rooms; one was Ruby's (or the field commander at any given time's) room, another was split in two for the next two officers, the third was a living room with 8 orderly cots and the fourth a kitchen with a single table for two and a small bathroom. The house opened into the living room and was entirely empty save for Sophie Tyndall; Ruby's personal favorite in the Rangers, and coincidentally also her partner.

"Second Lieutenant Ranger Sophie Tyndall! Where are y- oof!" Ruby was suddenly impacted in the face by a boot; standard Ranger issue, too. _That fucking hurt. And to think, she's about to get a temporary promotion._

"Dammit, Sophie, you're about to get promoted; stop throwin' shit at me!" After the second boot flew over a ducking Ruby's head, scuffling was heard from the direction of the secondary officers' room; shortly thereafter, a disheveled girl with curly brown hair dressed only in underwear and a deep-blue version of Ruby's Ranger cloak walked out.

"Whaddaya mean, promoted?" Ruby rolled her eyes at her partner's slurring and laid out on one of the cots in the living room, resting her hands behind her head.

"The gig with the queen went through; I'm her full-time personal bodyguard now. You're gonna be in charge of the Rangers while I'm otherwise preoccupied." The scantily clad, sapphire-caped woman suppressed a snicker as she sauntered into the kitchen to grab a cloth sack of coffee beans. As she walked back into the room, Ruby sat up and frowned at her choice of breakfast.

"You wake up an hour past noon and the first thing you eat is a bag of those accursed beans? They _can't_ be good for you, Sophie." The curly-haired girl tilted her head sideways to shoot Ruby a quizzical look before widening her eyes and crunching particularly loudly on another bean. Her partner just sighed and laid back down on the cot while Sophie crunched noisily on more of the beans. Sophie broke the 'silence' (about as silent as it can get with someone crunching on crunchy shit) with the first words she had spoken without slurring all morn-... afternoon.

"Sooooo… you're gonna be pretty _preoccupied_ with Weiss for a while, aren'tcha?" Ruby sprang up from the cot in an instant, a blush spreading across her face as she leapt across the room to tackle her partner.

"That's_ Queen Schnee_ to you, Sophie! You'd better respect royalty, woman!" Ruby now had Sophie in a headlock; her partner had managed to get one arm between her neck and Ruby's death grip, but was still struggling for air.

"O-okay, R-Ruby, I won't s-say anything a-again!" Ruby released her and calmly walked back over to the cot she was laying on. Before sitting down, she glanced over at her partner who was still gasping for air and busy sweeping her spilt coffee beans into a pile.

_She certainly is comfortable in her own skin_, Ruby noted, not without a slight note of bitterness; her partner was a little more developed than she was in pretty much everything... and being a good three inches shorter, her curves fit her figure better than they could Ruby's. Noticing the red-themed girl's stare, Sophie took a coffee bean and flicked it towards her partner's face. When her attention had been sufficiently caught, she tried Ruby's patience.

"You never _denied_ my accusation, Ruby."

"_Sophie!_"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Tell me how I did on the White Rose interaction, since it took up a majority of the chapter. Most of my chapters will be 3k words, but if any go over that point I will make a note of it and likely call it a "long" chapter.**

**Also; untraditional 'Fiery Shield' pairing? Thoughts?**

**Lastly; OC introduction? More featuring of her? Less? I'm open to suggestions.**

**P.S. The last bit of my story (w/ Sophie) is written while I'm rather tired, so it's probably the worst part of the chapter. Again, I'm looking for a beta! (pref. US but doesn't matter)**

**Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated; favs and follows are just lovely.**

**-Skij Leonhart**


	3. tTKoR- Chapter III:

**A/N:**

**I have a new beta! "ScytheReaper" will be looking over my semi-flawless chapters and… be making them flawless. Right?**

**SCHOOL'S OUT; TIME TO… NOT POUT? I don't even know.**

**Sorry about the wait from the last chapter to this one. ^^**

**I'm now working on tTKoR, a new Ruby-centric story with the title of RL (or LR, not sure yet), a LoL story with the abbv of HTUB and my scholastic novel called Making W.A.V.E.S. Full plate for me but I hope to update weekly with a rotation! Who knows how I'll do with it... but lets try!**

**I hope y'all are still there... right? You wouldn't leave me behind? (cue the abandonment issues)(not to make light of people who actually have these issues)(i'll shut up now)**

**-Skij**

Chapter III:

"Do as he commands; you will play a crucial part in what is to unfold in the land, Blake. Once you have completed his task, return here and I will set up the meeting. Then, and _only _then will you be allowed to take your revenge."

"Yes… sir."

* * *

Ruby walked down through the hall, gawking at every award-filled mantle and mural-adorned wall sections. Weiss had told her that her new living quarters would be in the "Falcon" wing of the building, (she had laughed at that one, but her new boss hadn't appreciated it) but Ruby had no idea where the bathroom was, let alone the wing of a bird.

"Yes, your Highness. As you wish. Anything else?" A timid voice chimed from down the hall and Ruby's head snapped forward, tuned into the noise.

"No, thank you; that'll be all, Velvet."

"Yes, your Highness." The girl named Velvet and Weiss came into view from around a marble corner; Weiss turned down towards Ruby as Velvet went farther down the hall.

_It looks like it goes foreeeeeever. I bet it does! I wonder if Weiss'll let me-_

"Ah-hem. Ruby." The addressed girl, startled, snapped up into a salute in apology and felt her cheeks burning red for having lost her wits about the queen.

"Sorry, your Highness." _Hopefully she thinks I can be serious. Damn, I already zoned out in the first few seconds._

"Please, call me Weiss."

"Respectfully, your Highness, I'd rather not." All the traces of playfulness in that title leftover from yesterday's meeting had evaporated.

Weiss sighed, but turned on her heel and began walking in the direction that Velvet had left, Ruby falling in line shortly behind.

"Today on the agenda, we have three meetings; only one you have to really pay attention in. The other two are just you standing around; sorry." Weiss' tone sounded apologetic, but Ruby hadn't picked up on the friendly signs yet.

"That's just fine, your Highness. What's special about the one I need to listen to?" Weiss stopped walking and Ruby had to practically hover on tip-toes for a few seconds in order to avoid running into the pale-haired queen.

"Queen Nikos of Criewyn is arriving today, along with her entourage. The meeting will be discussing the exact terms of our defensive agreement, as long as including a few other trade tidbits. I'd like to you take notes on what points you think we can argue to have more protection from them; Welilath is growing restless."

_I hate having Ruby be so formal with me. I just… Why can't I just have a friend? Maybe asking her to be my bodyguard was a poor choice. Damn it all._

* * *

"Understood, your Highness." Ruby continued in her monotone and moved to open the door to their first meeting; as Weiss stepped inside, Ruby took her position by the door and stood with her right arm draped behind her neck; it looked as if she were lazing, but in reality it was for quick access to her bow.

_Never hurts to be prepared. If Weiss wants me to prove myself, I have to. I… I can't go anywhere else, I- stop, Ruby. Focus._

With her internal monologue ended, Ruby looked around and assessed the 6 attendees of the meeting besides Weiss; they sat along a rectangular table with the queen at the head. As she sat, the already standing patrons paused briefly before joining her. Ruby heard some chatter about Criewyn and Welilath but figured it didnt matter since Weiss didn't note it was an important meeting. Nonetheless, Ruby didn't like how one of the men kept rubbing his left calf; it wasn't even an itch movement, and it had the Ranger concerned.

_I know calves can get itchy, but damn. He looks super paranoid too…_ Ruby's hand clenched on her bow- it had subconsciously moved there from her shoulder already.

"I'm glad that we could come to such a swift agreement, gentlemen. Now, if you'll-" As Weiss looked down to organize her papers, the calf-rubbing man at the opposite end bent down and as everyone else was standing up, Ruby silently slipped her bow off of her back and notched an arrow. As the man's hand came up, glinting with silver, Ruby released and her arrow embedded itself in his neck. Twitching, the man fell to the floor and the knife clattered out of his hands while the other attendees scrambled away from him. Weiss looked knowingly over at Ruby; a smile graced the queen's features before fading away and taking in the situation. All that Ruby saw, however, was the fading smile and figured she'd messed up. Again.

_I'm not fit for this job… I'm really not. I wonder if we'd just be... good friends? But she's the freaking queen; I'm just...maybe we should talk later. Is it too late to back out? _

Ruby's thoughts ran rampant as she sprinted over to her employer, bow aimed at any possible perpetrators.

"That's not Ren's secretary. Damn it; how did we not notice?" An older gentleman with glasses was kneeled, checking the pulse of the infiltrator while looking him over. Sighing, the man stood up and gazed in the two women's direction haggardly before adjusting the bridge of his glasses.

"I sincerely apologize for this predicament and I thank the gods that the realm was not jeopardized due to your wonderful bodyguard. If I may glean your name, Miss..." Ruby began to open her mouth but Weiss was faster.

"She is not for sale, Ambassador. Ren-sama and Nora-san can handle themselves just fine; the captain of the Remnant Rangers is under the employ of the Kingdom of Maevyn and will remain that way until I see fit. If that is all, Ambassador, the door is right over there." Weiss had subconsciously moved her arm around Ruby's shoulders and stayed like so until the Criewyn ambassador and his entourage had reluctantly left. When their footsteps died to nothingness and Ruby's shock began to fully set in, Weiss lightly blushed and removed her arm; to cover her emotional predicament, she began a rant induced by her previous meeting.

"The nerve! He comes in here without checking his own personnel and then wants to take you from me when he sees that you have talent? Please. He's glad that the "realm wasn't jeopardized"? He could care less about my life The fuckers can go back to their own tiny kingdom and find their own bodyguards. You're mine." Weiss continued but Ruby had zoned out at this point; her face was engaging in Weiss' one-sided conversation but her heart had been set aflutter.

_She thinks... I have talent? I'm... hers? Not in that sense, obviously. Idiot, Ruby. But... She's so vehement in defending me... even when they're gone! And I've never heard her curse before... It's kinda sexy._

That thought suddenly blindsided Ruby, creating an intense blush that the brunette hid by beginning to pace. Her thoughts ran rampant again and eventually her pacing slowed to a stop.

_She was so quick to defend me... but it must just be some protective, motherly instinct. Right? Right. Of course! No other explanations. None. There's no way she can feel what I feel... she doesn't even remember me from before! But I do..._

Ruby sighed and snapped back into focus to see Weiss staring into her eyes from two feet away; the latter quickly snapped away when the telltale clicking of someone approaching became louder.

"Miss Schnee? Your Highness? My queen?" Velvet's voice sounded from the throne room; the meeting chamber was situated directly behind it.

"Yes, Velvet? We are in here."

"We? Are the ambassadors from Criewyn still here? I thought I saw them lea-" Velvet cut short as she entered the room and her eyes narrowed onto Ruby; the motion was not lost on the Ranger.

"Hello; I don't think we've met; my name's Ruby Rose." The cheery young woman extended a hand that Velvet brushed by; she subsequently walked over to the now-seated queen who missed the exchange altogether; her mind was elsewhere.

"Queen Schnee." Velvet rapped her knuckles on the table twice before Weiss noticed; Ruby hoped it was because of their previous... confusing-at-the-least interactions.

"Y-yes? Apologies, Velvet; I am not myself at the moment. Please be brief; oh, and cancel the meeting that doesn't involve Shaevir's ruling family."

"Yes, your Grace. As I was saying, I thought you'd like to know about a development from the north; across the sea. Apparently there's been talk of a new coalition coming together under the banner of a Welilath deserter by the name of Roman Torchwick; a new guy in town but he apparently holds quite the grudge against them. Perhaps they can be of some use?" Weiss began to smile at this thought, but Ruby took it as if it were aimed at Velvet.

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? She already has that silly whore-girl who is coincedentally smart and well-versed on the realm; she's even more developed and more aware and she's been around Weiss for longer, from what I've learned. She's even addressing her as Velvet and not as some formal title like "Miss" such-and-such or "The Captain of the Secretaries." Damn it._

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? We're not the only kingdom that hates those damned bastards. Maevyn needs allies in this coming war; preferably from multiple sides; all the better to assault them with... And who better to help than an ex-military guy who knows their tactics? Fantastic!_

_Of course; how could I be so stupid? That silly "Ranger" girl doesn't stand a chance; I've been working at this for years! I even know that the queen isn't quite into men; enough years of being her personal attendant has taught me that much. Its no wonder none of the suitors her late father tried to set her up with worked; what a poor man. All he wanted was for his daughter to be a pretty old woman who sits around with ruling husbands; if only he had known... No matter; she won't succumb to this awkward little girl. She's mine!_

Thoughts swirled in the room for a brief moment before Weiss nodded, completely unaware of the tension in the room between her two loyal subjects.

"That sounds wonderful, Velvet. Please, keep me posted on developments from up north; attempt to establish an embassy with them once they're settled in, and send them a little welcoming gift; a promise of whatever dyes they need to make army banners and colors from. They ought to feel unified before we can enlist their aid." Weiss clasped her hands and stood, causing Velvet to take a step back as she was right behind the queen (a little too close, if you had asked Ruby). Weiss began to walk out, snapping her fingers at Ruby and talking as she left.

"Thank you, Velvet. Ruby, let's go." Ruby perked up at the first usage of her first name since the first official day of her employment, slung her bow that she had been holding idly around her back and trotted after her boss. Velvet's thoughts simply ran rampant as she picked up the papers left on the table by the dignitaries.

_That's right, bitch; go follow your master like the hound you are. She'll realize that's all you are... and then she'll come to me; her trusted friend and advisor when she's all alone; that's all you are- just a tool for her to realize she's all alone without me..._

A chuckle escaped the petite girl's lips.

(insert line)

"So, Ruby, did you get all of that?" Weiss looked up from her own notes and noticed her Ranger intently watching the window; probably watching the birds or the people below.

"Damn it, Rose, pay attention!" Ruby snapped her whole body in the direction of her queen and lowered her head in shame.

"I'm so sorry, your Highness; I-I, I just zoned out for a second. Please forgive me." Weiss rose an eyebrow at this sudden shift in behavior.

_Even when she was being formal it didn't sound like this._

"Look at me when you talk to me, Ruby." The brunette slowly rose her head and allowed her eyes to trace up the woman's white-robed torso with gold trim, accentuated by flowing hair that was so blonde it'd pass as white. Her gaze lingered on the small expanse of skin the dress showed beneath the chin before moving to the simple pendant necklace hanging around Weiss' neck.(**A/N:1**) Weiss felt slightly uncomfortable under Ruby's searching gaze but enjoyed it slightly and held her ground as the object of focus became the queen's lips, soft-looking and small, pursed questioningly while their owner raised an eyebrow. This slight shift in movement caused Ruby to blink right into her charge's eyes per her request that seemed to have been issued hours ago. The crystal-clear cerulean seemed to slip between a sea-green and a smoky blue before becoming sky-blue yet again, and Ruby found herself intrigued.

Weiss coughed, startling Ruby and causing her to glance downwards at her left leg, crossed over her right while stuttering. The unintelligable mutterings ceased instantaneously when a finger touched itself to her lips; confused, Ruby turned her eyes skyward to see Weiss with those same petite lips shaped into a slight smile, her eyes crinkled slightly at the edges.

"Ruby. I never got to thank you for what you did in the meeting back there; that was amazing." Weiss removed her finger and immediately it's loss was felt over in Ruby-land; the Ranger was completely entranced and enthralled by this new side of Weiss; the side she missed from when they were younger, the side that she'd remembered, the side that no one else got to see, the side tha-

"But if we don't get to work, you're going to go into this meeting completely blind and I can't have that; I need you awake and paying attention for this; it's very important. Granted, with a risk in the form of the new northern alliance, we're not going to need to ask for any more protection from Shaevir and this can be solely on trade. Come; we have an hour and if you pay attention the first time, it should only take half." Weiss had made her way to the desk in her office(**A/N:2**) and motioned for her bodyguard to move the chair up to the desk. Nodding and obliging her superior's request, Ruby got to work.

* * *

A trio of knocks sounded on the door to Weiss' office, startling the busy, at-work Ranger into dropping her quill. The queen's calm voice sounded from her spot at the balcony that overlooked a portion of the main square.

"Come in." A short boy no older than fourteen came in with a paper wrapped cylindrically and sealed with wax in the shape of a spear crossed over a shield.

"The Queen of Shaevir has arrived. She says..." He looked between the two with a slightly suspicious look across his face. "to take your _time_, Queen Schnee. I also bear a message." He bowed and held the paper out to Ruby, who got up to take it over to Weiss.

"Oh, m'lady Rose; the message was intended for you. Queen Nikos requested that you look at it after the meeting but to keep it on you; she said it was from someone...oh, I remember; a Master Ranger Qrow, I believe." Ruby's face blanched as she fell back into her seat while Weiss turned around to dismiss the squire, her face poised in its emotionless mask until the door shut.

"Ruby... what's wrong?" Weiss got no answer save the rustling of the wrapped paper in the Ranger's trembling left hand. Her right gripped the side of the chair tight enough to wring the life out of an avian creature; her knuckles were white from the exertion.

"Ruby, please; talk to me." Still no answer. Weiss tried another approach; she cleared her throat and attempted to use her "royal-give-me-things voice", as Ruby had once called it.

"Ruby Rose, I hereby command you to snap out of whatever is troubling you and talk to me about it." A reaction this time, but not what the queen had desired; Ruby merely looked up with a blank look perched in her eyes; the kind that let you know _you_ weren't the object in their vision.

"Ruby..?" Weiss' confidence broke; the last person she had seen in this state had been her father when her... mother had passed.

_More like monster._

But even if Weiss had despised her mother's true colors, her father had clearly loved some illusion that her mother displayed towards him. Her father had truly...

_Enough about yourself, you selfish Schnee. Focus on the problem at hand, here._

"Ruby; come on, lets go to your chambers. I'll cancel the meeting, we can take a walk in the garden, if you like, I-" Ruby blinked and snapped out of her trance immediately, stuffing the message into her wondrous cloak and standing up much too suddenly.

"Oh, no need to cancel the meeting at all, your Grace. Didn't that squire say the Criewyn queen is here? Let's go meet her, I'm anxious to see the legendary warrior queen. You know-"

"Ruby!" Weiss grabbed the suddenly over-eager Ranger by her arm and yanked her off her course to the door.

"I'm fine, your Highness. Don't worry about me… alright?" Weiss slowly nodded, slightly miffed that she refused to talk (_it's because you're still authority to her, dum-dum_) but hoping that her unhappiness with the situation would be conveyed appropriately through her eyes. Ruby beamed her best smile and opened the door for her charge.

"After you, my queen." Weiss rolled her eyes and strode forward purposefully, hoping that her bodyguard's situation would be resolved shortly.

* * *

**A/N:**

**1: I just realized Weiss kind of looks like Miss Dragon Lady (Daenerys Targaryen from AGOT)**

**2. I completely nailed Ned's office without even seeing AGOT- it was already in my head when I wrote ch.2, clearly; at that time I hadn't even started ep.1! *geniusss***

**-I may or may not have started AGOT... So influences (the throne room + meeting room, for example) will start to appear since I had the mind to start this fic before beginning the series (god, is it good). AGOT nor RWBY belong to me, however. Nor does M&B, which remains the map for now.**

**The Kingdom of Mayven is now the Kingdom of Maevyn and should've been the entire time; apologies.**

**Jaune and Yang are coming back next chapter; so is the Northern nation & a little Welilath introductioning. Pyrrha will not come back (not according to my plans) for a while, sadly, but in exchange Blake might come in within the next two. Idk! I write as the flow takes me when my plans fall to shit. (which is often.) Meh.**

**RUBY OFTEN CHANGES EMOTIONS RAPIDLY IN MY FICS. I don't know why she's such a mess emotionally but she is and she always will be as long as I write and I don't know how to fix it. Deal with it.**

**A big thanks to ScytheReaper for beta-ing!**

**-Skij**


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